Instagram will test hiding like counts in the US over the coming weeks. This was revealed by Instagram’s CEO during a recently held conference.
According to Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri, Instagram will start hiding likes in posts. Those who participated will only see the like counts for their own posts. For posts coming from their friends and public accounts, they will only see who liked the posts.
WATCH: Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announces that the platform will start hiding likes for US audiences starting next week. It’s the latest step in Instagram’s quest to become the safest place on the internet. https://t.co/BGkMG57rdk #WIRED25 pic.twitter.com/WNTyAPVhaD
— WIRED (@WIRED) November 9, 2019
The move follows a wider testing of hiding likes which the company has already done in seven countries including Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.
Instagram sees this move as a solution to the criticism that its app contributes to mental health issues among the youth. Over the years, like counts had become a form of validation, and the youth were vulnerable to comparing themselves to others with higher like counts.
“It’s about young people. The idea is to depressurize Instagram — give less of a competition, give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love and things that inspire them,” said Mosseri.
While the company’s solution may tackle that issue, many influencers are worried that this might end their Instagram career.
(Photo source: Twitter – @WIRED / https://www.pexels.com – Pixabay)
